Spread
butter in a 9-inch pie pan. Place 1 cup sugar
and water in a small sauce pan
over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Allow
the mixture to caramelize—it
will get syrupy and turn brown. This takes
about 10 minutes—just be patient. Swirl
the pan from time to time but don’t
stir. When it is golden brown, pour the caramel
into the pie pan and swirl it to coat the
bottom of the pan evenly. Let the pan cool;
the caramel will harden as it cools.

Melt
2 TB butter in a large skillet. Add the apples,
1/3 cup sugar, and cinnamon and
mix well. Sauté the apples over medium
heat until they soften, about 10-15 minutes.
Cool the apples.

Arrange a neat layer of apples
in the bottom of the caramelized pie pan.
Since the pie
will be inverted when it’s taken from
the oven, this will be the top, and you want
it to look nice. Pile the remaining apples
evenly on top.

Cover the apples with pie crust,
pinching the dough to fit just inside the
pie pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes; the
crust should be lightly browned. Place a
large
round serving
platter over the pie and turn it upside down
onto the platter. Serve the Tarte Tatin hot.

Tips
from Jane

— I tend to use Cortland or Macoun apples,
but any tart apple will do. I’ve used
Granny Smiths during the winter when choices
are limited. One medium to large apple will
give you about a cup of apple slices.

—
The caramel gives a unique taste to the apples.
While some people serve this with ice cream
or whipped cream, I prefer it plain so you
can appreciate all the flavors.